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Lee Sang-Hoon
History The Goryeo Dynasty was teetering on the edge of collapse. Wars and de facto occupation from the disintegrating Mongol Empire led to the split of the royal court between General Yi and General Choe. This conflict was joined by several of the gods who had demigod children on both sides. Most of them, including Zeus, allied with General Yi. Eventually, on the dethronement of King Gongyang, the Goryeo's 500-year rule was terminated. Taejo, a child of Ares, became the first king of what was then known as Joseon. The birth of the new dynasty attracted other gods to have demigod children with its mortals. The two succeeding kings, Jeongjong and Taejong, were children of Mnemosyne and Zeus, respectively. Joseon's favor with Zeus and the other gods did not last longer than what the latter expected. Soon enough, Taejo's sons began quarreling over the title of Crown Prince. Yi Bangwon, otherwise known as King Taejong, raided the palace and killed Prime Minister Jeong Dojeon, thus dismantling the idea of a kingdom led by ministers. For Bangwon, he envisioned a Joseon ruled directly by the king. The raid's casualties included Dojeon's supporters, as well as two of Queen Sindeok's sons, who were children of Apollo. As a result, King Taejo abdicated the throne to second son, King Jeongjong. This became the First Strife of Princes. Unfortunately, the conflict still didn't come to a close. Yi Bangwon fought with his equally power-hungry brother, Yi Banggan in what became known as the Second Strife of Princes. King Jeongjong feared Yi Banggan's power and so he named his brother as heir presumptive then eventually abdicated his throne. Bangwon, now called as Taejong, became the third king of Joseon. During his reign, he killed many of his supporters and relatives in order to strengthen royal authority. This may have laid strong foundations on the dynasty but Zeus thought otherwise. The god saw his son's ascent to power as unrighteous. As a matter of fact, several other gods in the pantheon complained about Taejong's means, for these have caused numerous deaths among their demigod children. In this light, Zeus placed a sinister curse upon Joseon. It was only a matter of time before Joseon collapsed at the hands of her enemies. Prometheus had other plans. He foresaw the arrival of Joseon's golden age. He would not allow Zeus' curse to prevent the Joseon Dynasty from flourishing as a powerful kingdom. Thus, in a matter of weeks, he impregnated Taejong's wife, Queen Wongyeong. She gave birth to a demigod son who would be later named and revered as the great King Sejong. Just like his Titan father, Sejong became the catalyst of change and innovation within Joseon. He was perhaps best known for the invention of the Hangul alphabet, inspired by Mnemosyne. Whether it was possible for a mere demigod to override the curse spoken by the King of Olympus or not, we do not know. However, Zeus was enraged by the unexpected events that unfolded right before his eyes. His anger seemed similar to when he tried depriving the humans of valuable resources in the ancient past, only to find himself tricked twice. That was right. He knew Prometheus was the only one daring enough to defy his will like this. However, instead of chaining the Titan once again to a mountain at the mercy of eagles, he lashed out at his royal son. Sejong was alone in his quarters when Zeus appeared to him, clad in the minister's robes. The introductions were made quickly before the god finally said, "Very well. You have proved your worth to keep Joseon breathing. The gods have once envisaged a powerful nation reigned by the greatest of kings. However, your father was hungry enough to usurp power by the blade of his sword. And now, Joseon's breath reeks of the blood he spilled. Joseon will live longer, King Sejong, but do know the consequences of your actions. Sometimes, it is better to destroy something earlier than sail beyond the eye of a storm you have created. You will die a great king and yet you will live again. Your crown, even your beloved Joseon, will no longer be with you because, alas, rags and commoners will surround you. And lastly, the cursed blood of your descendants will flow within your veins. Should a deity even mate with anyone in your bloodline, misery will cut through their offspring's lives faster than the flight of a hummingbird. Heed my warning, King Sejong. You have yet another lifetime to survive." Years after Zeus' ominous visit, Sejong died from the complications of diabetes. His son to the goddess Hebe, Munjong, succeeded his father in spite of a mysterious illness. This claimed his life two years into his reign--the first of many casualties that would tear through Sejong's bloodline in the centuries to come. History Outline Prologue *Upon King Taejong's ascension to the throne did not only come with a celebration, but also with a prophecy from the oracles serving as astrologers in the court of Joseon: the golden age of the dynasty would soon come and be brought upon by one of Taejong's sons. *Taejong had Hellenistic beliefs hidden under his kingly robes; it was not known to everyone except to his loyal astrologers, who have served ever since the first king of Joseon. The gods favored the dynasty for its promising future ever since the Goryeo Dynasty teetered to its demise. However, the first two kings, steadfast to their native religion, did not take these astrologers seriously but did tolerate them enough to keep them in close company in the court. *Taejong wanted to prevent the strife of princes from happening ever again. He was therefore careful with every child he had. However, he already had two sons and the astrologers were not certain if one of these two was the child of the prophecy. *Taejong prayed to the gods in order to guide him in his next step. Prometheus answered his call, telling him that in order for the prophecy to be fulfilled, the Titan must sire a child with his Queen. By producing a child of Prometheus, the future king of Joseon would bear the power of forethought to become the catalyst of change. *Sejong's ascent into power posed a challenge to Taejong. Thus, it took him several arduous years to manipulate his two elder children, Yangnyeong and Hyoryeong, to arrive at the decision of abdicating the throne to their younger brother, Sejong/Chungnyeong. Soon enough, they did, and Sejong was promoted as the crown prince. Aside from Sejong's excellence in his studies, he proved to be a powerful fighter. The Royal Commandant, appointed by Prometheus, trained Sejong in fighting against monsters. *Sejong's high favor with the king earned the ire of some of the court's scholars, questioning his legitimacy to the throne. *Sejong's prowess, curiosity, and intelligence earned him the favor of the gods, particularly Mnemosyne. It was through her blessing that the King devised the system of Hangul. Taking from his godly father, Sejong became a major catalyst of change in the history of Korea. *However, Eris was not done yet. She sent nosoi to inflict diseases upon Sejong and his firstborn son and heir, Munjong. Soon enough, Sejong died of diabetes and its subsequent complications, while Munjong became sickly and eventually died, ending his 2-year reign. This set off a chain of events that disintegrated the political stability enjoyed by Joseon under Sejong's rule. Revised Prologue *Can we not bother with the nitty gritty details of how Sejong got reincarnated *The gods favored the rising Joseon dynasty for its promising future ever since the Goryeo Dynasty teetered to its demise. Because of this, several of the Greek gods had children with the people of Joseon. Among these demigods were the first three kings: Taejo was a child of Ares, Jeongjong a child of Themis, and Taejong a child of Zeus. However, they soon fell out of favor because of the Strife of Princes. Demigods upon demigods were pitted against each other in a battle for power and revenge. *Angered by the behavior of these people, the gods placed a genetic curse on the Joseon dynasty's bloodline, hoping that this would destroy the dynasty and make way for a new one. However, Prometheus foresaw that the golden age of Joseon would soon come and be brought upon by one of Taejong's sons. *Going against the fury of Zeus over the First Strife of Princes, he sired a child with Taejong's Queen, producing the future King Sejong the Great. *As a son of Prometheus, Sejong possessed the power of forethought and wisdom like his father. Eventually, he became the catalyst of major innovations in Korean history. Sejong's efforts prevented Joseon from collapsing per the gods' plans. *Having tricked once again by Prometheus, Zeus lashed out his punishment not on the Titan but on Sejong instead. On his death-bed, Zeus visited him with a grave warning: He would be reborn in an era where Joseon has already ended, where he would no longer be known as a king but as a poor commoner, and where his cursed bloodline runs through (which could have been cut short already). *Sejong was then reincarnated into a poor family in Seoul as the son of Lee Ji-Hoon and Psyche. Present Time *Psyche should've been aware that Lee Seung-Wan came from the lineage of Sejong. Maybe she wasn't, possibly because Sejong was dead centuries ago or Seung-Wan's too far off from the trunk of the family tree. Either way, she had a son with him who became the unfortunate soul to host the reincarnated Sejong. *Seung-Wan just met Psyche on a one-night stand in some red-light district in Seoul. After all, he needed a breather after getting into a heated fight with his wife, Sae-Rin. Yep, having another woman's company would keep his hopes up for a better life. They live in a ratty tatty apartment which is all Seung-Wan, a delivery man, could provide for themselves. They already have one kid, Joon-Jae, who's the only one able to mend the couple's broken hearts whenever they feel hopeless. Joon-Jae was a definitely a treasure. Sang-Hoon was not. *For a baby, Sang-Hoon was handsome but this didn't placate Sae-Rin. Seung-Wan's lie that Sang-Hoon was entrusted to him by his dying family member didn't work as well. But what the hell Sae-Rin had no choice but to feed another mouth. *Seung-Wan got a promotion a few years later, which gave the family more breathing room. In due time, Sae-Rin grew fond of Sang-Hoon because the latter bonded a lot with Joon-Jae *Everything went fine during their childhood, Sang-Hoon began to manifest his exceptional intelligence and talents when he entered elementary school; he received annual scholarships and stipends; technically he was the smartest kid in the block but was rather shy; he only had Jae-Joon, who's about the same age as him, to keep him company; Jae-Joon may not be as smart as his brother but he learned a lot from him, whether it be academic stuff or life lessons (which was weird for a child because he has wisdom far beyond his age) *Sang-Hoon's stellar performance got him placed in a prestigious high school in Seoul while Jae-Joon got into a regular public school. *WIP some more details here, first monster attack *The family goes on a camping trip in the woods somewhere. Sang-Hoon gets Jae-Joon to come with him sneak out from their parents at sundown and check out the nearby falls. Monster attack happens. The last thing Sang-Hoon remembered was he and Jae-Joon jumped off the falls to escape the monster. He wakes up by the rocky riverbank to find Jae-Joon unconscious and barely breathing. He carries him back to camp. He and his parents quickly get on the car to bring Jae-Joon to the hospital nearby. *Car crash happens. Jae-Joon was supposed to be saved but he died eventually because of the crash. Sang-Hoon sustained a pretty bad head injury as well and got into a coma for half a year. While unconscious, he had various visions and dreams of King Sejong and his life. *Waking up, he finds out about Jae-Joon's death, Sae-Rin's depression because of his demise and her contempt towards him, reasoning that it was his fault that his brother died. *Time passed, and Sang-Hoon was diagnosed with epilepsy, which was due to his head injury. His condition greatly impaired his schooling so he had no choice but to drop out, on top of being bullied by his classmates for being epileptic and his loss of will to study and socialize. He was diagnosed with depression and anxiety later on because of this, along with his mother's constant berating on him. *Sang-Hoon began to have dreams of Sejong again. Months passed and he began to develop signs of diabetes--the same disease that eventually killed the late king. The doctors cannot find anything wrong with him so they're completely perplexed as to how he got it. **OOC: Zeus' curse would've been triggered at a much later date; however, the car crash fully established the connection between his soul and Sejong's. Essentially, Sejong was Sang-Hoon, and Sang-Hoon was Sejong. In the process, the curse was triggered early as well. Epilepsy was not a part of the curse but an effect of the crash itself. *Sae-Rin gets pregnant. More bad shit happens. Seung-Wan loses his job, leaving the family to survive on financial sustenance provided by Sae-Rin's distant relatives from the US. However, on top of Sae-Rin's pregnancy care, they also had other stuff to spend on, such as Sang-Hoon's anticonvulsive and antipsychotic drugs. *A fight between Sae-Rin and Sang-Hoon caused the former to contact her relatives, asking them to take care of him. She was going to start a new life with her husband and future kid, and she wanted Sang-Hoon out of the picture. Seung-Wan saw it as the best solution to free Sang-Hoon from the environment that gave him depression. *Sae-Rin brought Sang-Hoon to New Jersey and waited at the airport for their relatives. While he was asleep, she left him alone. Waking up to his mother not around, he waited for half a day in the airport, hoping either she or the said relatives would come. Neither did so he left. Lol his relatives were complete asses so why would they take him in. *Thanks to his innate abilities, he was able to learn a few English phrases while exploring the town. While roaming around with nowhere to go, he was attacked by yet another monster. He covered a good distance away from it but an epileptic attack didn't help him escape. Demigods on their way back to camp rescued him. They brought him to CHB where he was claimed by Psyche.